Shuttle for looms



April 23, 1940. w E AM ET AL 2,198,024

SHUTTLE FOR LOOMS Filed April 7, 195

- J: I I I k M3 5 M emu-M44 4 Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFlCE SHUTTLE FOR LOOMS Walter E. Burcham and George It. Hall,Elkin,

Application April '7, 1939, Serial No. 266,656

1 Claim.

This invention relates to loom shuttles generally, and particularly tothe type used in many weft-replenishing looms in which a feelersynchronized with the movement of the lay periodically enters a slot inthe shuttle and touches the filling'on the bobbin for the purpose ofoperating a weft-replenishing device when a certain extent of depletionof the weft on the bobbin is indicated by the extent to which the feelerhas to move into the shuttle before being stopped by the bobbin.

In conventional shuttles of this type the thread emerging from the sideeye passes along the body of the shuttle in a groove, the purpose ofwhich is to keep the thread free and to prevent it from binding betweenthe side of the shuttle and'the adjacent side of the shuttle box. Thisgroove generally intersects the feeler slot.

Not only is there risk of the thread slipping gravitationally beneaththe groove and binding between the shuttle and shuttle box, but there isalso the possibility that the feeler upon its incursion into the slotwill catch the thread, either of which eventualities will break thethread.

The present invention has for its objectthe relocation of the threadgroove in such a position that it cannot gravitate into the thinclearance space between the shuttle and the side of the shuttle box, andin such position that it does not intersect the feeler slot, so that itcannot possibly be caught by the feeler.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following descriptionof a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the followingspecification, and throughout the several figures, of which the'samecharacters of reference denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shuttle embodying the principles ofthe present invention; and

Figure 2 is a cross-section of a shuttle and' shuttle box taken in theplane of the feeler slo't illustrating the coaction of the feeler andthe bobbin.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral I representsthe shuttle as a whole, comprising the wooden body 2, the metallicthread block 3, the side eye 4, and the recesses 5 open both at the topand bottom for the receptionof the bobbin. The reference character 6represents the feeler slot formed at the side of the shuttle body.

The shuttle, as above described, is of conventional form and in Figure 2it is shown resting in the conventional shuttle box 1, which has a slot8 adapted to register with the slot 6 of the shuttle and through whichaligned slots the feeler 9 extends into contactive relation with thefilling Won the bobbin ll. 5

It will be understood from what, has been said in the introductory partof this specification that the feeler enters the slot 6 of the shuttlevertically, and is stopped in its inward movement by the thread upon thebobbin. As the di- 10 ameter of the weft on the bobbin decreases thefeeler moves in farther at each incursion, and finally, when the threadon the bobbin is about depleted the feeler moves in so far that itactuates replenishing mechanism which pushes out 15 the empty bobbin andputs in a filled one. T

The feeler and its mode of operation are conventional.

In known bobbins of this type a longitudinal thread groove is providedon the side of the bobbin 2, the purpose of which is to let the threadrun out freely between the shuttle and shuttle box and not catch in thenarrow clearance space I2 indicated in Figure 2. In known constructionsthe thread groove passes along the side of 25 the shuttle in anintermediate plane which intersects the feeler slot 6. It is obviousthat if for any reason the thread becomes slack it can fall to thebottom of this groove and become pinched in the narrow clearance space12 below said 30 groove. This will cause breakage of the thread.

In known constructions the thread groove also intersects the slot 6 sothat there is grave danger that the feeler 9 upon its inward movementwill catch the thread and take it into the slot 6. This will also causebreakage of the thread.

By the present invention the structure of the conventional shuttle ismodified so that the thread groove instead of being located at anintermediate longitudinal position along the side 40 of the shuttle bodyis made in the form of a longitudinal rabbet 13 which obliterates thelongitudinal bottom edge of the conventional shuttle and opens both onthe sideand bottom of the shuttle box as clearly shown in Figure 2, inwhich figure the thread in said rabbet is indicated by the referencecharacter 14. v

It is obvious that this thread cannot be caught in 'the thin clearancespace between the sliding and guiding surfaces of the shuttle andshuttle box, for it can gravitate no lower than the bottom of the rabbetl3 which is of ample width to receive the thread freely.

Furthermore, the rabbet I3 avoids the feeler thread shall be caught uponthe feeler, dragged in by the feeler and broken.

In relocating the groove or rabbet l3 to the position described, itbecomes necessary to guide the thread from the side eye into saidgroove, and this is accomplished by extending the horn l5 of the threadblock, which flanks one edge of the side eye, to a lower than normalposition, in

parts which it may engage in its course of travel.

What we claim is:

Loom shuttle having a thread block and side eye communicating therewith,a feeler slot in the same side as the side eye, said shuttle beingprovided with a thread groove formed as a longitudinal rabbet indentingthe lower edge of the shuttle, spaced from the feeler slot and mergingwith said side eye, said thread block having a guiding horn at the sideeye, extending down to said thread groove whereby the thread is directedinto said rabbet andout of the path of the feeler slot.

WALTER E. BURCHAM.

GEORGE R. HALL.

